Aviation Accident Summary Archive

Aeroflot Flight 1802 crashed near Chernihiv after an unexplained rudder hardover caused the aircraft to enter an unrecoverable tailspin. While climbing toward its assigned cruise altitude, the rudder suddenly deflected 25 degrees to the right at 5,700 meters. Despite the crew's immediate attempts to counter the roll with ailerons, the aircraft pitched up sharply, reached critical angles of attack, and fell into a spin. All 52 people on board were killed when the aircraft impacted the ground at a high rate of descent.

Mechanical Failure

American Airlines Flight 625, originating in Rhode Island with a stop at New York JFK, overran the runway at Harry S. Truman Airport after a long touchdown and a late, aborted attempt at a go-around. The aircraft struck a localizer antenna and an embankment before coming to rest against a Shell gas station. The accident was primarily attributed to the captain's decision to attempt a go-around with insufficient runway remaining, following a landing that occurred approximately 2,300 to 2,800 feet down the 4,650-foot runway.

Pilot Error

Alaska Airlines Flight 60, originating in Anchorage, overran the departure end of the runway at Ketchikan International Airport after the captain attempted a go-around following an excessively long and fast touchdown. The aircraft had abandoned a precision ILS approach in favor of a visual approach despite low visibility, fog, and light snow. After touching down approximately 1,500 feet beyond the threshold and finding braking action poor, the captain initiated a go-around. However, the thrust reversers failed to fully disengage due to high airloads, preventing the engines from producing takeoff thrust. The aircraft overran the runway, struck an antenna array, and came to rest in a ravine where it was destroyed by fire.

Pilot Error

Aeroflot Flight 3739 crashed seconds after takeoff from Irkutsk Airport due to an uncorrected right bank caused by asymmetric refueling and pilot error. The aircraft was carrying 114 souls, consisting of 104 passengers (including five unmanifested individuals) and 10 crew members. During the takeoff roll, the aircraft began banking to the right because the right fuel tanks contained approximately 1,300 to 1,500 kilograms more fuel than the left. Although the crew briefly leveled the wings, the aircraft banked again upon liftoff, reached a 70 degree angle, and crashed 180 meters past the runway end, striking a parked Chosonminhang Tupolev Tu-154.

Pilot Error

A Mercer Airlines Douglas DC-6 (YC-112A) crashed on a golf course near Van Nuys, California, following a catastrophic failure of the No. 3 engine and subsequent failure of the No. 2 engine. During the takeoff roll at Hollywood-Burbank Airport, a propeller blade on the No. 3 engine failed due to fatigue, causing the entire engine to separate from the wing. Despite the damage, the aircraft became airborne. The departing blade and engine debris damaged the No. 2 engine and severed critical hydraulic and pneumatic lines. The crew attempted an emergency landing at Burbank and touched down, but lacking brakes and reverse thrust, they were unable to stop. The Captain elected to perform an emergency go-around to avoid overrunning the runway into a residential area. During the attempt to reach Van Nuys, the aircraft lost altitude and crashed short of the runway on the Woodley Municipal Golf Course.

Human Factors (Maintenance)

On January 15, 1976, a Douglas DC-4 operated by Taxi Aereo el Venado crashed into a mountain peak in the Eastern Cordillera while performing a domestic charter flight. The aircraft had departed Bogota for La Macarena with 13 people on board. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot reported his departure and intended to check in at the next reporting point, El Boqueron, but no further communications were received. The wreckage was discovered three hours later near Chipaque at an elevation of 3,540 meters (11,610 feet). The investigation determined the aircraft flew into a mountain peak that was obscured by clouds, resulting in the deaths of all 10 passengers and 3 crew members.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Aeroflot Flight 2003 crashed shortly after takeoff from Vnukovo International Airport when both primary artificial horizons failed while the aircraft was climbing through clouds. Deprived of visual references and reliable instrumentation, the crew suffered spatial disorientation, leading to a steep left bank and a high-speed dive. The aircraft struck a residential house in the village of Sanino, killing all 61 people on board and one person on the ground.

Sensor / Instrument Failure

Middle East Airlines Flight 438 was destroyed by an improvised explosive device while cruising at 37,100 feet over the Saudi Arabian desert. The aircraft, a Boeing 720, was en route from Beirut to Muscat with a scheduled stopover in Dubai (or Abu Dhabi). The explosion occurred in the forward cargo hold, causing the aircraft to break up in mid-air and killing all 81 people on board. Investigations suggested the bomb was intended to detonate after the aircraft landed in Oman, but a last-minute aircraft swap and subsequent boarding delays caused the device to trigger while the flight was still in transit.

Security / Sabotage

A Piper Aztec piloted by two-time Formula One World Champion Graham Hill crashed into trees on Arkley Golf Course while attempting to land at Elstree Airfield in thick fog. The aircraft, carrying five members of the Embassy Hill racing team, was destroyed by a post-impact fire, and all six occupants were killed. The investigation revealed that Hill was attempting a visual approach in conditions far below the required visibility minimums for Elstree, which lacked radio navigation aids. Furthermore, the aircraft was technically stateless and uninsured, and Hill's instrument and night flying ratings had expired.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

On November 20, 1975, an Aeroflot Antonov An-24B struck a hill during a low-visibility approach to Kharkiv International Airport. The aircraft was operating a scheduled domestic flight from Mineralnye Vody. All 19 people on board were killed when the aircraft impacted terrain approximately 20 km (12 miles) from the runway while flying below the established minimum descent altitude in thick fog.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Overseas National Airways Flight 032, a two-year-old McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30CF named 'HolidayLiner Freedom', was destroyed by fire after an uncontained engine failure caused by a massive bird strike during its takeoff roll at JFK Airport. As the aircraft accelerated through 100 knots, it struck a large flock of gulls, leading to the disintegration of the number 3 engine. The resulting debris caused multiple tire failures and severed hydraulic lines, which severely compromised the aircraft's braking and steering capabilities. Although the crew successfully steered the aircraft away from a blast fence, the DC-10 suffered a runway excursion and was consumed by an intense fire fueled by leaking kerosene. All 139 occupants, who were ONA employees being positioned for Hajj operations, evacuated safely, though 32 sustained injuries during the escape.

Bird Strike

Inex-Adria Aviopromet Flight 450 crashed into a residential hill in the Suchdol district of Prague during a low-visibility approach. The aircraft descended below the minimum safe altitude while attempting to land at Prague Ruzyně Airport in heavy fog. The accident remains the deadliest aviation disaster on Czech soil.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

A Transporte Aéreo Militar (TAM) Convair CV-440 crashed into a mountainside near Caranavi shortly after takeoff from Tomonoco, killing all 67 people on board. The aircraft was significantly overloaded, carrying 67 occupants in a cabin configured for 48 seats. Ten minutes into the flight, the pilot reported a loss of power while attempting to climb through the rugged terrain of the Andes. The aircraft struck trees, shearing off its outer wings, before the fuselage impacted a sloping hillside and was consumed by an intense fire.

Human Factors (Operational)

A Royal Air Force Avro Vulcan B.2 bomber exploded in mid-air over the residential town of Zabbar after a botched landing attempt at RAF Luqa. During the initial approach, the aircraft undershot the runway, shearing off its port undercarriage. The captain took control and attempted to climb for a second approach, but the impact had also pierced a fuel tank in the starboard wing, leading to a fire and a catastrophic mid-air explosion. The two pilots successfully ejected, but the five rear crew members were killed. Debris and burning fuel rained down on the town, killing one civilian on the ground and injuring 20 others.

Pilot Error

Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 150 crashed during a visual approach to Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport in conditions that had deteriorated below weather minimums. The aircraft, a Fokker F28 Fellowship named Mahakem, encountered heavy fog while on final approach to runway 28. The aircraft struck coconut trees and impacted the ground approximately 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) short of the runway, breaking into two sections. The accident resulted in 26 total fatalities: 25 occupants (all 4 crew and 21 passengers) and one person on the ground.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Wien Air Alaska Flight 99 crashed into Sevuokuk Mountain during a series of attempted instrument approaches in dense fog at Gambell, Alaska. The Fairchild F-27B struck the mountain at an elevation of 424 feet while the crew was attempting to locate the runway after multiple missed approaches. The investigation determined that the crew failed to adhere to company instrument approach procedures and attempted to land in weather conditions that were below authorized minimums.

Pilot Error

ČSA Flight 540, an Ilyushin Il-62, crashed into level desert terrain approximately 17 kilometers northeast of Damascus International Airport during a night approach. The aircraft broke up and caught fire on impact, resulting in the deaths of 126 of the 128 people on board. Despite investigations by Syrian, Czechoslovak, and Soviet authorities, no definitive cause for the descent below the safe altitude was established, though the accident is widely considered a case of Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT).

Unknown

A chartered Boeing 707 carrying Moroccan workers home for the holidays crashed into the Atlas Mountains during a night approach in heavy fog. The aircraft struck a mountain peak at 2,400 feet, causing a wing to separate and the plane to plummet into a ravine. All 188 people on board were killed, making it the deadliest aviation accident in Moroccan history and the deadliest involving a Boeing 707.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 crashed during an ILS approach to Runway 22L at JFK International Airport after encountering a severe microburst. The aircraft entered a high rate of descent and struck non-frangible approach light towers short of the runway, leading to a catastrophic breakup and fire. The accident is famous for leading to the discovery and naming of the 'microburst' phenomenon by Dr. Ted Fujita and the subsequent development of wind shear detection systems.

Weather

A Lockheed C-5A Galaxy participating in Operation Babylift suffered a catastrophic explosive decompression when the rear cargo door locks failed during climb. The resulting damage severed the majority of the aircraft's control cables, leaving the pilots with extremely limited control. Despite a heroic effort to return to the airport using differential engine thrust, the aircraft crashed into a rice paddy during an emergency landing attempt.

Mechanical Failure

A Royal Nepal Airlines Pilatus PC-6 Turbo Porter crashed seconds after takeoff from Kathmandu when the pilot attempted to fly with a ground lock pin still securing one of the ailerons. The aircraft, carrying the wife and daughter of mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary, failed to maintain controlled flight during the initial climb. The pilot requested an immediate emergency landing but was unable to complete the turn, crashing into a ditch in the Boudhanath area behind the northern end of the runway. All five occupants, including the pilot, two Sherpa family friends, and the family's dog, were killed.

Human Factors (Maintenance)

A West German Air Force Transall C-160D crashed into the White Mountains (Lefka Ori) on the island of Crete while on a logistics flight from West Germany. The aircraft struck the mountain during a period of severe winter weather while on approach to Souda Air Base. All 42 people on board were killed.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

Turkish Airlines Flight 345 crashed into the Sea of Marmara during a missed approach at Istanbul Yesilkoy Airport. The crew initiated a go-around after a sudden airport power failure extinguished the runway lights just as the aircraft touched down. While attempting to reposition for a second landing under visual flight rules in poor weather, the aircraft struck the water. The wreckage remained undiscovered for decades, with only small sections recovered by fishermen in 2009.

Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT)

On 17 January 1975, a Sikorsky S-55B helicopter operated by Þyrluflug hf. crashed near the Hjarðarnes farm in Hvalfjörður, Iceland, killing all seven people on board. The flight was transporting five employees of the Icelandic State Electricity company (RARIK) from Reykjavík to Snæfellsnes. Investigators determined that severe wind conditions at Hjarðarnes caused the aircraft to crash. Although the helicopter was believed to have been overloaded, the investigative committee and later the Supreme Court of Iceland concluded that the crash would have likely occurred regardless of the loading due to the extreme weather conditions.

Weather